Quality of San Mai 3 steel

D

dtownknifekid

Joined
Dec 21, 2006
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I was looking to buy a knife in cold steel's San Mai 3 steel. Is it a good steel? It seems more expensive so is it worth the money? Also what are its advantages over other steels?
 
ok, no, not as much as you think.

Anything cold steal is just a big marketing ploy, the knives might still be OK, but the hype knives are more expensive then they need be.

San mai used to be AUS-8 and 420, ok but hardly special.

I'd stick around and learn more before spending big bucks on aything from cold dteal.
 
I just picked up a new Master Hunter made in Japan with the blade marked "VG-1 SAN MAi".

Anyone have any info/opinion on this steel?

Thanks
 
I would guess that the VG-1 SAN MAI is better than the AUS8 San Mai. At least it makes more sense to do a lamination with VG-1 as the center.

The reason to do a laminated steel is to use a hard, maybe edging on brittle steel as the center, and use the outside laminations to toughen it.
VG-1 has about 1% carbon, on the order of VG-10 or 440C. (VG-1 is a less expensive cousin of VG-10. Same amount of Carbon, but less Moly, no Vanadium, no cobalt. Those are expensive additives, so VG-1 is less expensive than VG-10. I would expect VG-1 to perform in line with 440C.) AUS8 has about 0.8% Carbon. So the VG-1 is going to be harder and a bit more brittle than the AUS8. MMVHT (Mileage May Vary with Heat Treat)

My opinion is that this new VG-1 San Mai should be an improvement over AUS8 San Mai.
 
ashtxsniper said:
It is a good steel but not worth msrp. It is worth every penny of the wholesale cost.
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Agreed. The fit and finish of the San Mai knives are excellent and they are very cosmetically pleasing, but is it worth the price of a Sebenza?
 
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